How Will Artificial Intelligence Affect the Future of VoIP?

If we look at VoIP and artificial intelligence (AI) individually, we find two of the fastest-growing industries in all technology. On the one hand, VoIP, a communication tool utilizing the internet as opposed to the more traditional phone line, is being used by businesses all around the world. On the other, we have AI, the ability to have technology make decisions and behave much like a human, which is being used in Amazon’s ‘Echo’ and many other products.

Essentially, we’re now getting technology that can consider a question and provide an accurate answer without direct human input. Not only this, the technology can also remind us of appointments, set dates on the calendar, and perform simple tasks online.

Why Is Artificial Intelligence Important?

For most, the whole idea of AI is driven and motivated by our need to automate certain sections of our life. By removing the need for human interaction on routine tasks, businesses and individuals become more efficient. Furthermore, there’s also an ability to collect up-to-date data which then contributes to smart decision-making.

Today, the industry has created fast, efficient, and affordable technologies which makes it accessible to nearly everybody. With artificial intelligence, the things it can do are always expanding and this is going to lead to advancements in VoIP in the coming years. Below, we’ve listed six of the biggest changes!

Bots: For many businesses, they’re setting up bots within their business to create schedules, set up important meetings, and manage time more efficiently. In years gone by, these were all menial tasks in every office and they simply wasted time that could be better spent elsewhere. Now, the same questions don’t need to be answered multiple times thus improving productivity.

Customer Service: Whenever the topic of artificial intelligence arises, the most obvious example within the business world would be customer service. With VoIP playing a vital role in communications, AI can also recognize the mood of the caller by analyzing speech patterns. After noting whether the caller is happy, angry, friendly, or even upset, it can pair the caller with the right agent.As we move forward, could we see an ability to translate from one language to another without any stoppages and disruptions? In truth, the biggest problem facing this advancement is vocabulary as opposed to the actual language but this is a possibility.

Conference Calling: With VoIP, conference calling across the internet to people on the other side of the world has become easier than ever. Once again, we can look towards the opportunity to translate languages with AI as the natural progression here. For companies who operate on global scale this could be a game-changer for a number of different reasons. As well as talking to foreign clients directly, conversations can be had with suppliers, employees, and marketing managers in other countries.

Work Pattern Recognition: Every year, we waste hundreds of hours creating itineraries and calendars for our days (despite them being very similar and actually working in patterns). With AI, all working and calling patterns will be learned to create a calendar automatically. With the likes of Google Home, Apple HomePod, and the Amazon Echo, we’re already seeing potential for these sorts of tasks.Before an important meeting, the AI can deliver all the information you need after reading data reports and workflows. With this sort of efficiency, the business can save money and spend it in more important areas.

Interactive Voice Response: Often shortened to IVR, Interactive Voice Response systems are designed to communicate with employees, customers, and other stakeholders. When a call comes through to an agent (using VoIP for high-quality audio), they can be provided with all the information they could ever want and need about the caller. For example, account details will be available at the agent’s fingertips along with any other information available on file. Above all else, this allows all stakeholders to be treated personally. For the caller, they’ll be surprised by the amount the agent knows and it saves them from having to repeat information each time they call.

Smart Technology: Finally, the ‘smart’ industry has been booming for some time now and this is set to continue into the future. With the likes of smart watches and phones, professionals can ask questions and receive a response in no time. If we use a sales manager as an example, they might be negotiating with a customer. Rather than placing them on hold to calculate contract terms, price, availability, and even time constraints, the employee can ask a smart device and receive an immediate response.In addition to calculating complex sums, this also allows employees to get the approval from head office or management within seconds. In this example, employees have their job made easier while the person on the other end is enjoying a better interaction.

Artificial Intelligence and VoIP

While VoIP is improving the quality and availability of calls with its many features, AI is ensuring the interaction during said calls is at the highest possible level. With the two working together, businesses will be able to excel and reach new levels of service!